Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to photoluminescent illuminators providing passive illumination of sights and other devices especially in dark or low light ambient conditions. The photoluminescent illuminators of the invention permit objects to be viewed for relatively long durations in low ambient light environments and to be recharged quickly.
Discussion of Background
Aiming sights are commonly used as a reference indicia on various weaponry such archery bows, guns, mortar and artillery sights, etc. Archery sights usually have a bracket secured to a sight assembly on the bow to support vertically spaced sight elements extending cantilevered to an end adjacent a vertical sight plane. Each of the different sight elements typically represent distinct target distances from which the archer can select in the aiming of his arrow toward an intended target. For guns, the traditional iron sights have a pair of aligned sighting elements mounted in line with the gun barrel. For mortar and artillery sights, there are often indicia for azimuth and elevation and these indicia are illuminated using radioactive tritium capsule illuminators. Aiming sticks are stakes to be inserted in the ground for gunners to pre-register mortar aim-points. They are identified by color or by the number of night illuminators visible.
A variety of firearms such as for example rifles, shotguns, and pistols and other hand guns (“guns”) are aimed at targets using some form of sighting device which is fixed to the weapon in alignment with the sight line of the gun barrel. While optical sights (“scopes”) are frequently used, the advantage of iron sights is that the eye can quickly integrate the entire field of view with respect to the iron sight so as to rapidly locate the target and point the firearm in that direction. In low light conditions, this capability is compromised especially by the usual camouflaged or dark handgun, shotgun or rifle and the dark iron sights.